Today's News

Galax police continue investigating an armed robbery that occurred May 17 at Tienda Hispana La Estrella on Hanes Road.
Witnesses said two men entered the store just after 9 p.m. and demanded cash. One displayed a black semi-automatic handgun. The pair fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The Galax Police Department have released a possible vehicle description: a black Dodge Charger with nice wheels, black tinted windows and West Virginia license plates.

The 2012 national “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement mobilization kicks off Monday to help save lives by cracking down on those who don’t buckle up.
The Galax Police Department is joining with other state and local law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates across the country to strongly enforce all traffic laws, especially seat belt laws, around the clock.
While Virginia’s seat belt use rate increased slightly to 81.8 percent — up from 80.5 percent in 2010 — there is still much work to be done.

HILLSVILLE — Caller ID can come in handy when trying to protect yourself from the latest phone scam.
Carroll Sheriff’s Investigator Kevin Kemp recently used a number collected by a citizen targeted by a scammer to check up on the latest attempt to defraud people of their money.
The investigator received five reports in 24 hours of a man with a Jamaican accent who is calling Carroll County residents and saying they have won $950,000 and a new Mercedes-Benz from the Publisher’s Sweepstakes.

Former Grayson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Dawn Cox was chosen as a juvenile and domestic relations court judge on Tuesday by the General Assembly.
She fills the position that has been vacant since the 2008 resignation of Judge Michael Keith Blankenship of Wytheville.

The City of Galax has proposed a increase to the meals tax as part of the $15.7 million budget for 2013.
Raising the meals tax rate from 5¢ to 7.5¢ would maintain services and prevent Galax teachers from taking home less money in their paychecks next school year due to a 5 percent increase in contributions to the Virginia Retirement System.

HILLSVILLE — Former model homes have a new lease on life and will contribute to the flow of commerce around Interstate 77’s Exit 14.
Businessman Jim Dixon has set up an office of Blue Ridge Mountain Home Center in the former AmerLink log home sales center after winning the remainder of the 99-year lease at a January bankruptcy auction.
Dixon has renamed the three homes “the log mall” while restoring the exterior and catching up on the long-delayed maintenance from the time when AmerLink finally collapsed due to its financial troubles.

INDEPENDENCE — Several more indictments have been unsealed by Grayson County Circuit Court, revealing the names of suspects indicted by a grand jury on April 28.
An indictment indicates that the grand jury found sufficient evidence for a case to go to trial, and does not indicate guilt.
All of those indicted are innocent until proven guilty.
The most recent charges unsealed include:
• David Lee Anthony, Galax – possession of a schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine).

HILLSVILLE — A federal mandate will cause student meals to go up by a nickel for Carroll’s 2012-2013 school year.
This is the second year in a row for the increase in order to meet the requirements of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, according to information considered by the Carroll County School Board at its meeting last Thursday.